MLB eyes pitch clocks of 14 seconds with empty bases, 19 seconds with runners on

Sources familiar with the situation say Major League Baseball wants a 14-second pitch clock with the bases empty and a 19-second timer with runners on.

Experiments in the minor leagues in which game times were cut by 20 minutes resulted in the two numbers being settled on. Sources say that MLB decided less time was needed for pitchers with the bases empty and more time with them occupied because of the 15-second and 17-second clocks used in the minor league.

After years of increasing game times, the desire for a clock comes after a record length of a game last season. The average length has gone up by 20 minutes since a decade ago.

The clock reduced the games in Low-A West from 3:02 to 2:41 last year. The league believes that the pitch clock can help speed up the big league product.

Rule changes have been a storyline during recent collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the players union, though the sides have discussed various on-field issues for the past couple of years.

As part of the talks that took place in Florida recently, the league was interested in speeding up the process to implement rule changes, but it remains to be seen whether they will be successful. The sides are having another round of talks on Sunday. The first two series of the regular season were canceled after the owners locked out the players.

One year after formally proposing rule changes to the union, the league could implement them on their own. They want to give 45 days notice, but still get input from players. The panel consisted of six management officials, two player reps and an umpire.

Major league players have mixed feelings about the use of a pitch clock, with many coming down against it.

Max Scherzer, a union subcommittee member, said that MLB is trying to negotiate. It should not be in the game as a player. If you have ball-strike implications, having a pitch clock is messing with the fabric of the game. There is no clock in baseball for a reason.

The retired pitcher took a different view.

There are changes to be made to the game, but players don't want the game. Some of these guys still want a designated hitter in the National League. Have you been watching the games we have been watching?

In the past 50 years, the average length of a game has increased by 45 minutes, but 10 of those minutes have come in the last year. The game times increased by five minutes in each of the next two seasons.